SALEM – Gov. Kate Brown's state lawyer was able to skip the application process followed by other candidates for openings on the Multnomah County Circuit Court, Brown's staff said late this week.

The governor's office also allowed a state legislator from Lake Oswego to interview with a special panel of lawyers, separate from the one that reviewed other applicants for a seat on the Clackamas County Circuit Court.

Judicial candidates typically fill out application forms and interview with panels of lawyers selected by the governor's office before the governor personally interviews finalists.

In the case of Brown's general counsel Ben Souede, officials in the governor's office said no additional vetting was necessary. Souede was among three lawyers Brown tapped earlier this week to fill vacancies on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Souede was also on the interview panel that met with candidates for the two other openings on the Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Misha Isaak, the governor's deputy general counsel, said Brown knew Souede's qualifications better than other candidates after working with him for two years. Isaak will succeed Souede as general counsel.

"The governor is not only sitting in her office watching Ben Souede and me process and handle complex legal issues and give her advice as our client and manage difficult legal questions all the time," Isaak said. "She's also receiving input from folks out in the community about the work we're doing."

As a circuit court judge with an annual salary of nearly $130,000, Souede will be taking a pay cut. He currently earns approximately $143,000 as Brown's general counsel, according to the governor's office.

A series of vacancies on the Multnomah County Circuit Court began in April with the announcement that Judge Henry Kantor would retire. Then, Judge Julie Frantz also decided to retire and the governor decided to elevate Judge Bronson James from the Multnomah County Circuit Court to the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The governor decided to fill two of the openings with candidates who'd responded to the solicitation to fill Kantor's position on the court, and she wanted Souede in the third spot.

According to Isaak, Brown and Souede had already discussed in recent months his desire to serve on the Multnomah County Circuit Court "and Governor Brown's interest and willingness to appoint Ben."

"The overriding point for every process is the decision of who to appoint is the governor's to make," Isaak said.

Kantor, the judge whom Souede is replacing, said on Friday he agreed with Brown's choice. Kantor said he presided over a complex trial a number of years ago that involved securities law, and he was impressed by Souede's work as part of the plaintiff's legal team.

"Lots of people have been watching him and observing him and going, 'Wait a minute, this is somebody we need to get into the courts,'" Kantor said.

As Souede's supporters point out, there is precedent for Brown hiring her state lawyer. In 2009, then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed his general counsel Kelly Skye to fill a vacancy on the Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Krista Shipsey, chair of the Multnomah Bar Judicial Screening Committee, said the panel typically reviews applications and interviews all candidates for judicial openings.

"In Ben's situation, obviously the governor doesn't need my input because she works with him daily," Shipsey said. "It didn't surprise me at all that Ben would get it ... Clearly, he's been through a strict vetting process to work for the governor."

At least one other judicial appointee avoided the usual application process, although in her case Rep. Ann Lininger did undergo vetting. Lininger, who will take a seat on the Clackamas County Circuit Court, submitted the usual judicial interest paperwork but interviewed with a different panel, consisting of Souede, Isaak and one other undisclosed lawyer from outside the governor's office.

Although Brown decided to appoint Lininger after lawmakers wrapped up work earlier this month, Brown's press secretary Bryan Hockaday confirmed Lininger indicated her interest in the job while the Legislature was still in session.

"Because she is an elected member of the Legislature, she did not want to participate in the public process, particularly if there was a prospect her application was going to be rejected," Isaak said.

In a written statement, Linginger didn't answer why a lawmaker should follow a different interview process than other applicants to become a judge. Instead, she spoke of Brown's priorities as governor and how they reflected her own.

"I was proud to vote in favor of protecting women's access to reproductive healthcare," Lininger wrote. "I was glad to ensure that over 300,000 low-income Oregonians can keep their healthcare coverage. I was pleased to support sensible investments in our transportation system. These are issues I have cared about for a long time."